A multi-billion-naira worth of cocaine concealed in heavy-duty automobile pivot shafts and Ghanaian fabric, Kente, among others have been recovered in a nationwide intelligence-led operation by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
A statement by the NDLEA’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi yesterday, said while 2.32 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in Ghanaian traditional Kente materials going to the United Kingdom were intercepted at a courier firm in Lagos on August 15, 2024, 10.494kg of same class A drug buried in heavy duty pivot shafts heading to the United States, were recovered at the same logistics company after the NDLEA sniffer dogs fished out the automobile spare parts containing the illicit drug.
This brought the total weight of cocaine seized in the two shipments to 12.814 kilograms.
In the same vein, five other consignments going to the US, the UK, and Canada were also intercepted at the courier firm in Lagos on August 9, 2024.
They include 517 grammes of cocaine in clothing materials; different quantities of pentazocine injection, promethazine injection, and cocodamol pills, all heading to the UK as well as 297 pills of tramadol 225mg going to Canada.
In another logistics company in Lagos, the NDLEA said its operatives recovered 21 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 10kg coming from the US and meant for delivery in Abuja.
Also, in an intelligence-led operation, the NDLEA operatives on August 7, arrested a member of a cocaine trafficking network at Alafia, Orile, in the Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State while attempting to move 9.00kg of cocaine to Onitsha, Anambra State.
Two members of another cocaine syndicate based in Nnewi and Oba town, Anambra State were also arrested on August 8 in a follow-up operation, following the seizure of their consignments in a transport company bus at Benin, Edo State the same day.
While the bus driver was arrested at Benin tollgate with a total of 2.865kg cocaine, another member of the gang was picked up at Nnewi town while attempting to collect his consignment of 1.748kg cocaine and 514 grammes of sodium bicarbonate. An arrest was also made at Oba town, while the suspect was trying to pick his own 1.117kg cocaine.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport Lagos on August 7, intercepted 532 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 265.25kg in a black Toyota Sienna bus, one of the three vehicles in a container marked MSMU 6029570 coming from Montreal, Canada.
The seizure was made during a 100 per cent joint examination with men of the Customs Service and other stakeholders.
The following day, August 8, the operatives recorded yet another seizure of 75 parcels of the same substance weighing 37.5kg in a container marked FSCU-9274613, that came from Canada.
In Adamawa State, the NDLEA operatives on August 8, with the support of men of operation Farauta Sector 3, Mayo Belwa, arrested another suspect with 425 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 291.200kg in his Toyota Camry car marked Lagos KSF 381 HM. He claimed he was bringing the consignment from Edo State to deliver in Yola, Adamawa State.
While two suspects were arrested at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano State on August 6, with 29.5kg cannabis, the NDLEA operatives in Lagos recovered 1,169 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance from a bus along Orchid Road, Ajah on August 4.
No less than 1,230.00kg of cannabis was destroyed on three hectares of farmland at Ikeje forest, Edimogo village, Igalamela/ Odolu LGA, Kogi State on August 9, by NDLEA officers supported by men of the Nigerian Army. The owner of the farm has been arrested.
Meanwhile, the commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities among others in the past week.
They included WADA enlightenment lecture for women at Fowewe Sofuwa Islamic Centre, Saki, Oyo State; WADA sensitisation lecture and inauguration of community drug control committee at Nnando community, Anambra State; WADA advocacy visits to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, Kwara State; and WADA sensitisation lecture to members of Ansaru-ud-deen Muslim Society of Nigeria in Ado Ekiti, among others.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) while commending the officers and men of the Special Operations Unit, Tincan, Lagos, Edo, Kano, Kogi, and Adamawa states Commands as well as those of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI), for the arrests and seizures, urged them and their compatriots across the country, to continue with their current balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
